Saddleback Trip Report - March 30, 2013

We had a great day at Saddleback today. Bluebird skies and LOADS OF SNOW. The cover was absolutely amazing. Temps in the lower 40's at the base made the snow nice and soft after lunch, and on the upper third of the mountain it was still spot-on winter conditions with the temps in the 30's. It was really an amazing day. What a difference a year makes!

If you are deciding where to ski tomorrow - GO TO SADDLEBACK!

Happy Easter Everyone! A few pics of our fun.

The left side of tight line was super fluffy.

Juley carving up Green Weaver

@MaineSkiFamily Old Man on Black Beauty

Black Mountain of Maine Report - March 23, 2013

Isaac with some Black Mountain Air

Getting Ready for the Fire Hose Race

@MaineSkiFamily called an audible and made a trip to Black Mountain of Maine today instead of hitting Saddleback like we usually do. We were a bit rattled by the high wind forecast for the higher elevations, so we decided to visit one of our favorite mid-sized mountains. We figured the southern facing slopes of Black would shelter us which they did. In the end the lifts turned at Saddleback which was great for them, but we also had a good time at Black.

The groomers were spot-on at Black. Very creamy for our first few runs. With the mountain only open Friday to Sunday, we thought we would find some nice untracked snow from the mid-week storm. While the southern slopes sheltered us from the wind, it also allows the sun to really beat down on the slopes. What ended up happening in the natural terrain is the first inch or snow of powder melted, then froze overnight causing a crust on the snow. A bit disappointing in that Black had cut a bunch of glades but we really could not get in them. In some of the shady areas, the snow stayed soft but for the most part a solid crust had formed. The temps warmed above freezing in the afternoon which helped loosen things up a bit.

Finding some Black Fresh

Overall it was still a great ski day. Black has great intermediate cruiser runs that are a lot of fun. It was the last weekend of the season for them so they had a bunch of family friendly events going on. We participated in the fire hose race and came in fourth. Somehow the @MaineSkiFamily old man skied over the hose on the course and got it wrapped around his leg. But I stayed upright and we all finished with smiles on our faces.

There was a nice crowd a Black which was great to see. Lots of families enjoying the slopes together. I have skied both Black and Big Rock this year, both owned by the Maine Winter Sports Centers. They only charge $15 for a lift ticket which is an unbelievable value. Good for them to promote healthy and affordable winter fun!

Saddleback Trip Report - March 20, 2013

@MaineSkiFamily on Nightmare Glade

@MaineSkiFamily old man & three other middle-aged dudes did mid-week getaway to Saddleback to harvest some 18" plus of blower powder. Needless to say it was an excellent day! It snowed most of the day picking up a couple more inches during our ski day.

Thrombosis Glade was Super!

The new snow was very light which is a bit unusual for Maine in general and March snowstorms in particular. It was very easy to move around and there was a lot of it. Our first runs of the day down an untracked Parmacheenee Bell was easy knee deep the whole way. Many times during the day I would look down to my skis and I could not see them. It was great!

We bounced all over the mountain and had a blast. The woods were particularly good. It was a bit windy mid-mountain on up, so that meant the snow blew around some. While the head walls of Governor, Wardens Worry, Frost Bite and Black Beauty were skiable  you were skiing over ice and around rocks and other obstacles. Once you made it a 100 yards in or so, things got fluffy again. So while it wasn't a perfect day it was pretty darn close. I give it a 9.5.

Attacking Intimidator Glade

Looking at the Saddleback weather forecast, the temps are going to stay below freezing through the weekend. This snow will groom up real nice and the snow in the woods and the sheltered natural trails will stay nice and fresh. It is going to be a great weekend at Saddleback!

Saddleback Trip Report - March 15, 2013

A quick trip report from Saddleback. @MaineSkiFamily dad had to work but the kids had no school on Friday and headed up with Mom and a school friend. Overall they report a good day. It was pretty chilly with temps in the single numbers to teens and a wind out of the NW. They also reported a good crowd for a Friday which is good to hear. No big waits in lift lines but good to see some business on a mid-week ski day.

It was a groomer day as the niar (evil word spelled backwards) earlier in the week soaked the trails then froze them up. The good news? The groomers were in great shape. Plenty of snow and the snow groomers have done a nice job getting them back into top condition. Tight Line from the top and Red Devil from the Rangeley skied very well. And the boys friend from school found his new favorite mountain. Go Saddleback! Saddleback has lots of activities going on this weekend for St. Patrick's day including a special $29 Maine Day this Sunday! If you are not from Maine just wear green to get the $29 deal. The mountain is skiing great and it is always a good time at Saddleback so go get it!

While the natural trails were pretty much frozen solid, there is still a great base down awaiting the next snow dump. Snow in March? BRING IT. It looks like the Maine mountains are lining up for a significant snow event next week. While all the flat landers are sick of snow, we say MORE PLEASE. Keep an eye on the weather on the web as the storm approaches. You can follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page at the top of this blog post as I will be certainly posting updates on the upcoming storm.

GO SNOW!

Saddleback Trip Report - March 9, 2013

What a day at Saddleback Maine today! Bluebird skies, deep snow, moderate temps, no wind... it was really awesome. Very strong crowd today and there some waiting in lift lines, but nothing we could not handle. Smiles everywhere today.

Groomers were awesome. Trees were awesome. Natural bump trails were awesome. I think Wardens Worry was the pick of the day for us. But Casablanca #1 was super deep and fun. Then there was that run on Peachy's Peril. Then the snowfields between Wardens and Frostbite. Oh yeah the Nightmare glade run was very sweet. And that Dark Wizard glade run was spot on. Then there was that run on Silver Doctor with soft snow and big GS turns.

You get the idea.

Super Fun Snow Today

Boys Ripping the Snowfield between Wardens Worry and Frostbite

Soft Snow on Governor

Old Man on Golden Smelt

Can't Beat that Skiing or the View

Launching into Wardens Worry

Ski Trip Report Saddleback Maine - March 2, 2013

Juley getting it done on Muleskinner

We had a really, really, really, really, really good day at Saddleback. After our trip last week, we thought Saddleback was ready for the next dump. Dump acquired - CHECK. They received around 2 feet over the past week. The first foot and a half was a very heavy dense snow, then the next 6 inches a much lighter snow. It was just about perfect. A great base to cover everything up, and fluffy stuff on top to turn in.

@ISalisbury in a Casablanca Rock Huck

We were all over the mountain. Even the wife made the trek over to Muleskinner. When that happens you know the conditions are MINT. The head walls of Wardens Worry, Frostbite and Black Beauty were in decent shape and the main trails skied awesome. Golden Smelt skied the best it has skied all year. Parmacheenee Bell was spot-on. All the glades were buried and you could ski them with confidence knowing the cover was excellent and there was snow to turn in to slow down as needed.  The groomers were in excellent shape as well. Today was really just a day were you could pick a trail and GO FOR IT. All in all a primo day!

@alec_salisbury in Dark Wizard

There was a good crowd on the mountain. Lots of new faces and lift tickets on jackets so hopefully Saddleback had a good revenue day. We mostly stuck to the T-Bar and Upper Quad and although we had a few waits, the lift lines never got crazy long. It was cloudy with on and off light snow, but the winds were light when you got off the immediate summit, and the temps were in the mid to upper 20's.

 




One story from the day. As we were making our traverse over to Casablanca, up by the #4 entry there was 3 guys checking out the shoot, and a 4th fellow was lagging behind. Once he caught up he asked his buddies. "What's over here? I don't ski double-black trails. Any Groomers". Uh-oh I thought. His buddies said "No, but this Casablanca glade is like Lower Nightmare Glade and if you don't like it you can duck out to Muleskinner which isn't too bad". Ouch. Some friends he has taking him to the most challenging terrain on the mountain. We passed him going down Muleskinner where unfortunately he was falling every 2 turns and his buddies were nowhere to be seen. Fortunately the snow was soft, but shame on his "friends" for dragging him over there and he did not look like he was having much fun. That was an injury waiting to happen and hopefully he is OK.

Skiing in March is great. While the lowlands battle cold rain, wet snow and mud season, the ski mountains are in the best shape of the year. The snow is deep, the sun is higher, beers and BBQ on the Saddleback lodge deck and the skiing is awesome. It doesn't get any better than this at Saddleback! GO GET IT

Here is a quick video from one of my favorite trails Wardens Worry. There is a fun rock jump at the bottom and the old man lets out a classic "Moo" call. Nothing like spending quality family time in the Mountains of Maine.

Saddleback Trip Report - February 23, 2013

After a busy high school race season it was good to get back to our home mountain for a day of skiing. There was a nice crowd today but most lifts were less than a 5 minute wait. There was a bit of an unusual wind today coming out of the south. So the chairlifts rides were chilly with a stiff breeze in our faces. One refreshing change was that the wind was at your back skiing down the mountain, so you did not have to battle ice cream headaches while skiing on this day.

Some Silver Doctor Air

Saddleback had received quite a bit of snow over the past few days but we could tell the school vacation crowd had skied it hard. There was not many freshies to be found but overall the conditions were good. We made our first Casablanca runs of the season and we even found an unmarked glade. Overall the snow was very fast. You really had to be on top of your skis especially in the glades.

The best snow of the day was on the left side of Royal Coachman under the Rangeley chair. The snow was light and fluffy and it stayed good all day.

March is coming! The is the best month of the year to ski. The sun is higher in the sky and it can be one of the snowiest month's of the year in the mountains of Maine! GO GET IT